Necklace
by 9r7g5h
Summary: Aphrodite hated seeing her friend like this. Maybe a present would help? Post FIN fic.


**AN:** As much as I hated the ending (I did and I didn't, because on one hand, it did close out Xena's story decently well, and it came after 6 seasons of love and friendship, but on the other, Xena still died and that was unacceptable), I still have to accept it as canon. But you know what else is canon? Aphrodite and Gabrielle's friendship, and I'm so going to play that up. So yeah, after Gabs gets back to Greece, I'm almost 100% sure Aphrodite was there. Hope you guys all like the fic!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Xena.

* * *

The moment Gabrielle stumbled off the ship, the black urn clutched tight to her chest, Aphrodite was there to catch her. Catch and hold her as, for the first time in weeks, finally no longer alone, Gabrielle began to sob.

Even though she had been expecting it (she had lived long enough to see more than a few perfect romances end in tragedy, and knew exactly what was to come), Gabrielle's reaction still threw her. She was the goddess of love, not the goddess of grief counseling (though she was more than qualified. When she wasn't setting up couples across Greece or hosting orgies, she spent her time in class. Mostly to seduce the teachers, since smart guys could be hot, but also to learn. She had degrees from almost every single academy in Greece, under assumed names of course, so yeah. She was qualified for anything) for Zeus' sake. She dealt in kisses, not the tears soaking through her thin covering, and the few times she had tried to help mourners in the past, they hadn't gone well.

It should have been Xena holding her, Xena trying to keep together the shaking mess currently in her arms, Xena who should have been doing this, that, and a thousand other things Aphrodite couldn't think of right now. But Xena was in the urn clutched to Gabrielle's breasts, and she was the only one here to comfort the bard.

So she did the only thing she could think to do: took Gabrielle to the Halls of Love and continued to hold her while lying on the nearest couch, making small murmuring noises and stroking her hair until she had cried herself to sleep. Carefully detangling herself from her friend, Aphrodite gently draped a blanket over Gabrielle and sighed, glancing down at her soaked clothes before zapping them dry.

She couldn't have salt and snot all over her chest while she worked.

Aphrodite couldn't bring the dead back to life. Even with most of the rules that Zeus, and later Athena, had put on the gods, that was still far beyond her power. But, if she could pull the right strings, she could maybe do something to make it a little bit easier for her friend.

Her first stop was to Hephaestus' forge, which had been lying cold for the last twenty seven years. Until now.

"Hey Mom. I think I've finally figured out how get the metal to set together properly, so it shouldn't be much longer now."

"Good, good," Aphrodite said with a nod, giving Cupid a quick peck on the cheek as she walked over to the table on the other side of the room, the tips of her fingers running over the tiny gears and pieces of metal. They seemed so delicate, as if the slightest pressure could destroy them, though she knew it wasn't true. A herd of horses could trample these pieces of gold and they wouldn't even be able to make a scratch.

Making it the perfect material for what Aphrodite had in plan, especially with her friend's dangerous lifestyle.

Walking over to where Hephaestus had kept the leather aprons for his assistants when he occasionally had one, Aphrodite pulled one on and tied it around her waist, grimacing at how the material felt on her skin and the burn marks clashed with her outfit. Oh well, nothing to do about it- the forge ran on a special fire that could burn even a god, and while she wouldn't scar, even a few minutes of a burn mark was totally unacceptable. Waving her hands to get her hair coiled on the top of her head, Aphrodite slipped on the gloves and goggles that hung next to the apron and returned to Cupid's side.

"Show me you know what to do, sonny boy," Aphrodite said, rubbing her hands together as she watched her son begin to turn knobs and pump the billows, the flame flaring up before her. "Mamma's got work to do."

Cupid, glad he had spent so much time as a child watching his father work, just smiled widely at his mother's excitement. She had been too lethargic, too cold to the world when she wasn't actively working on a project, since her two favorite women had disappeared. Even though the situation was messed up beyond all belief, he was just glad to see her passionate about something outside the job again- in this case, helping her friend.

* * *

It took the two of them six hours to work out the kinks and bugs in their plan, and another three for them to get everything to actually work, but in the end, Aphrodite zapped herself back into the Halls of Love with a heart shaped necklace in hand. Only, thankfully, to find Gabrielle still asleep on the couch where she had left her.

Aphrodite wasn't surprised. Although she herself hadn't been able to keep track of Gabrielle after her and Xena had left Greece, she had made enough friends with the other gods of other countries over the years to get progress reports from those who could see her. She had known three days after Gabrielle's boat left port from a set of minor water gods that Xena wasn't with the bard, and that Gabrielle barely slept, barely ate, and spent all of her time watching everyone nearby suspiciously, the urn clutched tight against her. It didn't take a genius (which Aphrodite really was, despite her play) to realize what had happened, and to recognize that Gabrielle was paranoid about protecting what remained of her friend- even the ashes of Xena: Warrior Princess would fetch a high price to the right buyers, and the threat of them being stolen, especially since Gabrielle was so well known and easily recognizable even alone, was high.

Gabrielle had been protecting Xena, even long after her death, to make sure she could be laid to rest with her family. It had only been with Aphrodite, someone Gabrielle could trust without a single bit of doubt, that she had allowed her defenses to fall and the wear and tear of her body to show its full affect.

Gabrielle was still curled under the blanket, the urn settled in against her stomach, and for that Aphrodite was glad. She wasn't done with her work yet

Waving her hand to make a platter of food and jug of drink appear on the table next to Gabrielle, just in case she awoke before she returned, Aphrodite placed a quick kiss against Gabrielle's cheek before zapping herself away once again to go finish what she had started.

* * *

"Michael, you asshole, come down here _right now_."

For twenty minutes Aphrodite had been yelling for the archangel in the forest clearing, alternating between asking nicely and raging demands into the air, trying to get herself heard. It was hard trying to get yourself noticed when there were no clear cut boundaries to zap to and slightly cross, which normally got her the attention of the gods she was trying to contact very fast. But the archangel was different- not a being of this world, there was no clear cut space she could invade, no place where he held power that she didn't, no way she could force his hand. She had just had to hope he was listening and would pay her a visit.

She hated that. Hated that she had to play his game, calling out to him when she knew he was already listening, just ignoring her because he could. Well, if he was going to play it that way…

"Michael, if you don't get down here right now, I'm going to cut off love. You can't stop me from doing so. No one will ever love again. And I'll put Cupid and Passion in chains. That means sex will stop too. No more sex means no more little snotty brats running around getting their little sticky hands on everything, which means the end of the reincarnation cycle. I will literally _end_ humanity if-"

"If I don't come down and see you," a voice said casually behind her, forcing the goddess to turn on her heel and almost fall to the ground, Michael's appearance startling her.

"Yes, in fact, that's exactly it," Aphrodite said, huffing as she subtly pulled herself together, trying to seem calm despite the surprise. "I have a request, and you're going to grant it."

"Oh, am I," Michael asked with a laugh, his wings rustling as he shifted from the straight position he had been holding into a more relaxed stance, examining his nails casually. "What could the Goddess of Love ever ask from an angle of the Lord? We're not exactly batting for the same team, if you get my meaning," he said, glancing up at her. "We belong to two completely different religions; we should be trying to kill each other right now."

"If you want to kill someone, look up my brother," Aphrodite said with a huff, crossing her arms across her chest. "I want nothing to do with fighting. There's too much of it in the world today, with barely enough love to balance it out. All I want to do is bring a little bit of it back into the world."

"If it's Xena you're talking about, she's dead," Michael said with a shrug, folding his arms to mirror Aphrodite's pose now that the threat of a fight was out of the way. "She had her chance to come back, and she declined so the forty thousand souls she was responsible for could move on. Quite noble of her, really. As it is, she's relaxing in heaven right now; she has about forty Earth years before her new life begins, and no matter how much you want it, I can't bring her back to life before then." He shrugged, his hands uncrossing to show his palms to the goddess, indicating his inability to do anything. "It's out of my hands, and this is her final death."

"Ok," Aphrodite said uncaringly. "I figured that would be your answer, and I can accept that."

"You can?" The angle was actually surprised at Aphrodite's answer, his hands falling to his side as his eyes widened. "You mean you're not here to beg for another chance at life for Xena? Even though it would bring your friend Gabrielle so much joy?"

"No," Aphrodite replied, shaking her head. "Celeste was actually there when Xena died- she's always present when a Greek dies, even if they don't go with her, for record's sake. Apparently, the many other times Xena and Gabrielle 'died,' she wasn't there. So they could be brought back, because the Fates hadn't declared it their time yet. But Xena's thread was cut, the end tied into the tapestry, and Celeste was there to witness it. She's gone, and she's not coming back, not in the form I know her."

"Then why did you call me here? What business could we have if you don't want me to bring Xena back to life?"

"I want to see her soul."

Michael just raised his eyebrow at that, his annoyance and curiosity clearly fighting each other on his face. Curiosity won out, and he just stood there, silently, waiting for her to explain.

When it became clear she wouldn't, he just sighed and shook his head.

"You want me to bring a soul down so you can visit? If you have brought Xena's girlfriend, the blonde, with you, so they could say goodbye one more time, I could understand. But just you alone…"

"Come on, Michael," Aphrodite pleaded, allowing the fight to drain out of her, her body slumping. Allowing herself to seem vulnerable, a form that got most men complying with her wishes quite quickly. "Please, just let me see her. Ten, fifteen minutes, that's all I need. I promise. And I'll owe you."

"You Greek gods are quite strange," Michael eventually said after a few minutes of silence, slowing shaking his head with a small, almost condescending smile on his face. "This is highly unusual, normally not allowed, but I can manage five. Make them count."

And with a blink and a little flash of light, Xena was there. Glowing, partly see-through, dressed in a fabulous white dress that Aphrodite knew had to be heaven uniform since the warrior would never choose something like that herself, but still there.

Aphrodite reached out to hug her, only for her arms to pass through the spirit. She did feel a warn tingle, though, and Xena just smiled at her, so Aphrodite counted it.

"It's good to see you, sweetheart," Aphrodite said, reaching into the small pocket on the inside of her bra to pull out the necklace, "and I would love to catch up, but we don't have much time. Quick, I need you to kiss this."

Holding out the necklace, the little heart-shaped charm swinging towards Xena, it was after a moment of confused glances between the warrior and the angle that Aphrodite sighed and stomped her foot, the beginnings of a temper tantrum just held down.

"It's a gift for Gabrielle," Aphrodite said, running her hand through her hair, for once purposely frazzling the normally perfect style.

"How is-"

"Shh," Aphrodite said, shushing the warrior. "She's doing well and horribly at the same time, which is why I have this," she continued, holding the necklace up higher for them to see it better, "to give to her. All I need is for you to kiss the charm, and the magic I put on it will take hold. It won't hurt her soul," she added quickly when Michael opened his mouth, cutting off what he had been about to say. "It'll just help to calm Gabrielle's."

Xena didn't need any more convincing- without another word she reached out and cupped the charm between her hands, somehow able to interact with the physical object without Michael's help. Leaning down, she gently, lovingly brushed her lips against the metal heart, letting the kiss linger for a moment longer than necessary before pulling back.

"Tell her I love her," Xena said, a statement more than a request- she knew the goddess would comply, even if Xena hadn't asked. Pulling the locket close to her, Aphrodite pressed the charm against the inside of her wrist, a wide smile appearing as she found whatever she was waiting for.

"I will," she said, "I promise. I'm sorry you can't tell her yourself."

"It was necessary," Xena replied. The warrior woman didn't look happy about it- more resigned to her fate than anything else, despite all the good her sacrifice had done. "Just make sure she knows, and never forgets."

"I will."

With that the spirit flashed, blinking out of sight, leaving the angel and goddess alone in the clearing once more.

"That wasn't five minutes."

"Souls tire easily if they come to Earth," Michael said slowly, watching Aphrodite with guarded eyes. "Especially when you connect a physical object to them and drain them of their energy. Why?"

"Because it will help make this life a little more bearable for her," Aphrodite said, clutching the necklace close to her chest. Hesitating, it was with a sigh that she gave in- she had to know. "Will they see each other again before they're reborn? I figured, since I didn't get the full time you promised," she said when it looked like he would refuse, "the most you can do is give me a yes or a no."

"I can't say for sure," Michael said as a glow began to surround him, indicating he was going to return home soon. "Policy and all. But I can say," he continued, giving Aphrodite a small smile, "is that Xena's new life isn't slated to begin for another forty Earth years. If, theoretically, Gabrielle was expected to die in, oh, say, thirty eight? I can imagine the chances of them being able to see each other once again are quite high. But that's only theoretically.

Aphrodite nodded in thanks as the angle fully disappeared, leaving the goddess alone with her necklace in the clearing in the woods. Though not for long.

She had a present to give someone.

* * *

Gabrielle was awake and sitting up on the couch when Aphrodite zapped herself into the Halls of Love, sipping a cup of water and nibbling on one of the pieces of meat that had been on the platter. A descent amount of food was gone, as was half the jug, Aphrodite noticed with relief. At least it was a good sign.

What happened next was not.

"Can you take away my feelings for her?"

"What," Aphrodite asked, stunned, almost dropping the necklace to the ground as Gabrielle met her stare; met her stare with a dead gaze, sending terrified trills down the goddess' spine. She had seen Gabrielle in many different states before- happy, sad, horrified, terrified, enraged beyond all belief. But this was almost void of all emotion. The eyes staring back at her were dead, reflecting the heart that shared their body. "Gabrielle, where did this come from?"

"It hurts," Gabrielle said, setting down her cup so she could rest her hand over her chest, her fingertips brushing the skin over her heart. "It hurts more than anything I've ever felt- more than when Perdicas died, more than when I had to kill Hope, more than when I learned my parents were dead. It's almost like when Xena hated me," she said, the last bit almost an afterthought, "but it hurts so much more. So I thought, maybe, if you could take away how I felt about her, return her in my mind to just a friend, nothing more, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much. Can you?"

"Gabs, I-"

"I don't know if I can go on like this, Aphrodite," Gabrielle interrupted, her voice thick despite the lack of tears in her eyes. "It hurts too much without her."

"Sweetheart." Sitting down next to Gabrielle, Aphrodite wrapped her arms around Gabrielle's shoulders, pulling the other woman into a tight hug. Sitting there in silence for a few minutes, lightly stroking Gabrielle's arm, she sighed as she continued. "I can give love and take it as I wish," she admitted, "but only when I give it in the first place. The love Cupid and I spread is real," she added, almost defensively, "but what you and Xena had, have, is even more so. I had nothing to do it with, honey; that was all you two. So I'm sorry, love, but I can't."

"But," she added when she felt Gabrielle slump against her in defeat, "I can make it a little bit easier to go on. Here."

"What is it," Gabrielle asked with a sniff a she reached out and took the piece of jewelry, pulling away from Aphrodite so she could properly look at it. Holding it by the chain, she held the necklace up to the light, taking in the simple swirled pattern that covered it. Reaching out, it was with a small gasp that Gabrielle pulled her hand away, her eyes wide. "It's warm. Almost hot."

"I can't bring Xena back to you," Aphrodite admitted, almost regretfully. "If I could, I would, but I can't. But I could bring a little bit of her back to you, so I did. The necklace and charm are made from Hephaestus' gold. No matter what happens, it'll never break, never be able to be damaged, and if you ever lose it, it'll show up the next to you the next time you go to sleep."

"And the heat?"

"I managed to connect the necklace to Xena's soul." Ignoring the bard's surprised look, Aphrodite reached out and took the necklace from her, gently pushing on her shoulder to force Gabrielle to turn around. Unlatching the clasp, Aphrodite put the necklace on for her, smiling proudly as Gabrielle turned back around to show the necklace resting just above the divet between her breasts. "Every time Xena thinks of you, of how much she loves you, it warms up."

"How long will it last?" Tears had started to well up as she lifted the charm to eyelevel, Gabrielle blinking quickly to try and clear her sight to examine it more closely. "Will it ever stop?"

"No, never. The charm is permanently connected to Xena's soul. To remind you of just how much she loves you. Forever."

Aphrodite wasn't expecting the tackle that took both of them to the well carpeted ground, Gabrielle laughing and crying and thanking her all at the same time. Leaving the urn unattended on the couch for the first time since Xena had died.

Aphrodite insisted that she stay for a few days, so Gabrielle did. They ate and they drank and they talked, telling each other stories and remembering the past, holding their sides as they laughed to pain and each other when the pain of crying brought them to their knees. They checked in on Argo, making sure she was fine, before continuing their merriment. Aphrodite, at Gabrielle's request, even took her to work with her, the two of them picking out couples to make them fall in love of all types, though Aphrodite was careful to choose ones that would only end happily.

It was almost a week of fun, a week of Gabrielle being able to put aside her burden and leave the urn alone safely in the Halls of Love (though she still kept it in her arms when they were there), a week of friendship and peace. A week of Gabrielle constantly reaching up to touch the charm, still amazed at the constant warmth that still hadn't faded.

When it was time for Gabrielle to leave, Aphrodite zapped her right to the gates of Amphipolis, Argo waiting, already saddled and tacked, for the bard so they could ride to the crypt Xena's family waited for her in. She left her friend with a kiss on the forehead, gaining a small but steady smile back.

It would take so much longer for Gabrielle to heal, so much more time than Aphrodite could personally give, but she would. She had her reminder that she was loved, and always would be.

"Do you ever think it'll go cold," Gabrielle had asked after she had pulled herself onto the horse, one hand on the reigns while the other clutched the necklace, the metal warmer in her palm then should have been physically possible.

"Never," Aphrodite had replied, her hand resting on Gabrielle's knee. "I told you, the magic connects Xena's thoughts, her love, of you to the charm, heating it up. It'll never go cold."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because Xena will never stop loving you."

It would take a long time for Gabrielle to fully heal. But the wide, almost jaw breaking smile that Gabrielle gave, the first she had given in a long time, showed Aphrodite that she would.

And Aphrodite was right- for the thirty eight years Gabrielle wore the necklace, and for so much longer after she passed, it never once cooled.


End file.
